Police budget to rise by 1.99 per cent

CHESHIRE Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane is to increase the policing budget for the county by 1.99 per cent – equivalent to rise of six pence a week for the average Band D home.
It is, he says, a budget with a strong focus on providing value for money, investment in priorities important to local residents and protecting front-line policing.
He said: “This is a budget that will enable the Chief Constable to protect the public of Cheshire and achieve the priorities of the Police and Crime Plan.”
In developing the budget the Commissioner has taken into account the Government’s approach to police funding, the Home Secretary and Chief Constable’s assessment of national and local risk and threats and feedback from residents and businesses across Cheshire.
Mr Keane (pictured) said: “The previous Chancellor’s commitment to ‘maintain overall police force budgets at current cash levels’ has been confirmed by the current Chancellor and remains dependent upon Commissioners increasing their local council tax precept by up to two per cent  in each year through to 2020.
“However the Government has not honoured this commitment as the Provisional Grant Settlement for Cheshire is lower than implied in 2015.”
Government has stipulated that any increase in the precept above two per cent in Cheshire would require a countywide referendum which would incur  costs in the region of £1.2 million to the public purse and any reduction in the precept would result in considerable cuts to local police funding. The Commissioner says this is something he is not comfortable with.
He said: “It is with this in mind, alongside strong public support, that I have agreed to a 1.99 per cent increase in policing precept.”
As a result the 2017/18 budget for the Constabulary will be £193million.
“I think it is important for the public to know that the 1.99 per cent increase, which equates to sex pence a week for an average Band D household, will enable an additional £1.16m to be raised to support policing in Cheshire. However, it does not cover the cost of inflation,
existing commitments and priority developments. These additional costs, together with the net change in funding, will need to be met through efficiencies and savings.
“Policing in Cheshire has made £52.4m of savings since 2010 and a further £5.4m of savings have been identified this year with the overall aim to protect local policing services. This will enable investments for the upcoming financial year to meet the priorities detailed within the Police and Crime Plan 2016-21, priorities that were developed with residents of Cheshire every step of the way. The investments for the forthcoming
year will focus on ensuring that our police service is ready to meet current and future challenges in a robust and sustainable way. This will assist to meet the vision for Cheshire to have a police service focused on community policing, putting victims first.”